FREMONT – A change in the calendar to 2020 did not, unfortunately, have a change on the Fremont Ross girls basketball team’s fortunes.
Since winning their season-opener against Clyde, it’s been a rough road for the Lady Giants.
Youth and inexperience has led to an inconsistent level of execution. That up-and-down play showed itself once again Monday night as Ross’ lost its ninth-straight game, this time to Genoa, 52-42.
“Like I told the girls, there’s part of the game and there’s possessions where we’re playing good ball, offensively and defensively, but it’s not consistent,” Ross coach Juan Vela said. “A player makes great play, two or three possessions in a row, then the next three or four, she hurts us. And it’s not just one person, it’s everybody. The consistency is the most important thing we’ve been trying to figure out all year.”
The Lady Giants got off to a slow start. After scoring the first four points of the game, Ross saw Genoa go on an 11-2 run, thanks to an early trio of 3-pointers, en route to a 16-8 lead after the first quarter.
The Comets hit eight 3-pointers on the night, often coming in response to Ross climbing back close to Genoa on the scoreboard.
“The first quarter they shot some 3s and I knew they could shoot the ball,” Vela said “…I was not surprised but it’s one of those things where when the ball goes up you just hope it doesn’t go in and it went in.”
Ross chipped away at the deficit through the second quarter but gained little ground. Until, that is, Hannah Scheidler hit on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to bring Ross with six going into halftime, 25-19.
The third quarter opened with a Brooklyn Baptista 3-pointer and the Lady Giants were within three. Then Genoa surged ahead once again, pushing its lead back up to nine where the lead remained until the end of the quarter.
The Comets’ lead grew to double digits early in the fourth quarter until the Lady Giants took momentum thanks to a non-call by the officials. Senior Sarah Widman was whistled under the basket for a defensive block, while Ross and its fans strongly felt she had set her feet and the call should have been an offensive charge.
In the immediate aftermath, the Lady Giants had their best spurt of the game. Baptista hit a 3-pointer to get within nine. Janiah Holmes then scored on a layup off an assist from Baptista. Then Mylah Williams scored on a hook shot to get within five. Genoa responded with a 3-pointer but Baptista answered with a 3-pointer of her own with just over five minutes to play.
However, the Lady Giants’ inconsistencies reared their head once again as Ross went scoreless over the next four minutes and never again came as close to completing the comeback.
“There is three or four minutes left and we got it close, our girls get excited and emotional, which is good, and helped us get that run,” Vela said. “But you also have to execute your plays so you can get easy baskets, instead we decide to shoot a tough shot and when it doesn’t go in, they get the rebound and we’re back to square one.”
Baptista and Williams each scored 11 to lead Ross while Scheidler added nine while Ross’ record dips to 1-9 overall.
“The 50-50- balls, I felt like we didn’t get one tonight,” Vela said. “It was all game long. I think there was a couple times where I see the young girls trying but the girls from Genoa are maybe just a little bigger, stronger, and quicker. There is effort there, at times, but a lot of the 50-50 balls, we need to get stronger and faster, all of the above.”
Ross returns to action Thursday with a TRAC game at Oregon Clay.
Genoa 52, Fremont Ross 42
G| 16—9—13—14 52
FR| 8—11—10—13 42
ROSS (42)
Mylah Williams 11, Brooklyn Baptista 11, Makenna Englund 4, Hannah Scheidler 9, Janiah Holmes 7.